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Ratify pirate treaty with Asia, MPs told

They may not brandish cutlasses or wear parrots on their shoulders anymore, but pirates still pose a real threat to Australian companies trading by sea in South East Asia, parliament has been told.

The incidence of piracy in the straits of Malacca and Singapore, a narrow strip of sea legendary for its reputation for swashbuckling adventure, is apparently on the rise again.

Labor MP Kelvin Thomson said the number of piracy incidents in the straits had jumped from 75 at the turn of the century to more than 130 last year.

"This represents a significant threat to the $130 billion worth of Australian trade that passes through these straits each year," he told the lower house on Thursday.

The federal parliament's treaties committee is recommending that Australia ratify an agreement to combat renewed piracy in the straits, the historic passageway that has connected Asian traders with the rest of the world for centuries.

The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, or ReCAAP, boosts cooperation between Australia and its Asian neighbours to protect traders from armed robbery.

Mr Thomson said it would improve responses to acts of piracy, and Australia would benefit by gaining access to a regional maritime security network targeting this emerging local threat.

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The committee's report also supported proposed treaties between Australia and Vietnam over extradition and Australia and Spain over classified defence information and radio telecommunications revision.